[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 219 (Friday, November 13, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63472-63473]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30393]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-00562; FRL-6044-1]


FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel; Open Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

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SUMMARY: There will be a two-day meeting of the Federal Insecticide, 
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Food Quality Protection Act 
(FQPA) Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) to review a set of scientific 
issues being considered by the Agency in connection with methodology 
for conducting comparative ecological risk assessments, developmental 
neurotoxicity study (a retrospective analysis), and a status report on 
use of the FQPA 10x safety factor.
    The Agency will present methods for comparing the potential 
ecological risk of pesticides used on similar crop sites. Risk indices 
or quotients are calculated and the results are compared to established 
levels of concern (LOCs). The resultant exceedances are used to rank 
pesticides and use sites. In addition, since numerous calculations are 
made using a range of use rates and toxicity values, pesticides and 
their use sites are compared based on frequency distributions of LOC 
exceedances. The comparisons include acute and chronic endpoints for 
terrestrial and aquatic organisms, as well as incident reports and 
information on extent of use. Pesticide specific ecotoxicology data and 
environmental fate and transport data are used in the analysis. Models 
such as GENEEC and FATE are used to estimate pesticide exposure. The 
Agency will also present two sessions concerning human health risk 
assessment. The first session will concern a retrospective analysis of 
12 developmental neurotoxicity studies. The Agency will also provide an 
update of activities concerning the FQPA 10x safety factor.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 8 
and 9, 1998, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at: The Sheraton Crystal Hotel, 
1800 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia. The telephone number 
for the hotel is: (703) 486-1111.
    By mail, submit written comments (one original and 20 copies) to: 
Paul I. Lewis, Designated Federal Official (DFO) for the FIFRA/
Scientific Advisory Panel (7101C), Environmental Protection Agency, 401 
M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460. In person or by delivery service, 
bring comments to: Room 117S, Crystal Mall 2 (CM #2), 1921 Jefferson 
Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia 22202.
    Comments and data also may be submitted electronically by sending 
electronic mail (e-mail) to: [email protected]. Electronic 
comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption. Comments and data also will be 
accepted on disks in WordPerfect in 5.1/6.1 file format or ASCII file 
format. All comments and data in electronic form must be identified by 
the docket number ``OPP-00562.'' No Confidential Business Information 
(CBI) should be submitted through e-mail. Electronic comments may be 
filed online at many Federal Depository Libraries. Additional 
information on electronic submissions can be found under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By mail: Paul I. Lewis, DFO, FIFRA 
Scientific Advisory Panel (7101C), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., S.W., Washington, DC 20460; 
Office location: Rm. 117S, CM #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, 
Arlington, VA; telephone: (703) 305-5369; e-mail: 
Lewis.P[email protected]
    A meeting agenda is currently available and copies of EPA primary 
background documents for the meeting will be available no later than 
November 13, 1998. The meeting agenda and EPA primary background 
documents are available on the EPA web site http://www.epa.gov/
pesticides/SAP/ or may be obtained by contacting the Public Information 
and Records Integrity Branch, Information Resources and Services 
Division (7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460; Office 
location: Rm. 119, CM #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA; 
telephone: (703) 305-5805.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Any member of the public wishing to submit 
written comments should contact Paul I. Lewis at the address or the 
phone number given above to confirm that the meeting is still scheduled 
and that the agenda has not been modified or changed. Interested 
persons are permitted to file written statements before the meeting. To 
the extent that time permits and upon advanced written request to the 
DFO, interested persons may be permitted by the Chair of the Scientific 
Advisory Panel to present oral statements at the meeting. There is no 
limit on the length of written comments for consideration by the Panel, 
but oral statements before the Panel are limited to approximately five 
minutes. The Agency will allow additional time for presentation of oral 
comments at the FQPA 10x safety factor session to provide public 
commenters sufficient time to state their remarks at the meeting. The 
Agency also urges the public to submit written comments in lieu of oral 
presentations. Persons wishing to make oral and/or written statements 
should notify the DFO and submit 20 copies of the summary information. 
The Agency encourages that written statements be submitted before the 
meeting to provide Panel Members the time necessary to consider and 
review the comments.
    Information submitted as a comment in response to this notice may 
be claimed confidential by marking any part or all of that information 
as CBI. Information marked CBI will not be disclosed except in 
accordance with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. An edited copy 
of the comment that does not contain the CBI material must be submitted 
for inclusion in the public docket. Information not marked confidential 
will be included in the public docket. All comments and materials 
received will be made part of the public record and will be considered 
by the Panel.
    A public record has been established for this notice under docket 
number ``OPP-00562'' (including comments and data submitted 
electronically). A public version of this record, including printed 
versions of electronic comments, which does not include information 
claimed as CBI, is available for inspection from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The public 
record is located in Rm. 119 of the Public Information and Records 
Integrity Branch, Information Resources and Services Division (7502C), 
Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental

[[Page 63473]]

Protection Agency, CM #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, 
Virginia 22202.
    Electronic comments can be sent directly to EPA at: opp-
[email protected]. Electronic comments must be submitted as an 
ASCII file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of 
encryption.
    The official record for this notice, as well as the public version, 
as described above will be kept in paper form. Accordingly, EPA will 
transfer all comments received electronically into printed, paper form 
as they are received and will place the paper copies in the official 
record which will also include all comments submitted directly in 
writing. The official record is the paper record maintained at the 
address in ``ADDRESSES'' at the beginning of this document.
    Copies of the Panel's report of their recommendations will be 
available approximately 30 working days after the meeting and may be 
obtained by contacting the Public Information and Records Integrity 
Branch at the address or telephone number given above.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection.

    Dated: November 3, 1998.

Marcia E. Mulkey,
Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.

[FR Doc. 98-30393 Filed 11-12-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F